TOM REED
Perspective

Last week I had the honor of attending the first hearing of the Wyoming Range Legacy Act of 2007 before the Senate Energy Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests. The bill, introduced last fall, would withdraw Wyoming’s namesake mountains from future oil and gas leasing.

This legislation, which has the hook-and-bullet crowd (Sportsmen for the Wyoming Range) in a frenzy of excitement, will safeguard over 1.2 million acres of trophy elk, moose, mule deer and trout country. Language in the bill also provides a process allowing the buy-out of current leases. This act is the first piece of legislation ever drafted and introduced by our newest senator, John Barrasso. And it seems fitting that this was literally the last piece of legislation that our beloved cowboy senator, Craig Thomas was working on prior to his passing in May 2007.

Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines camouflage as the disguising with paint, nets, or foliage; concealment by means of disguise; and behavior or artifice designed to deceive or hide.

As a sportsman, I know firsthand the reason for camo. Like many sportsmen, I often go to great lengths to conceal my presence in the backcountry while pursuing big game. From the scent control we try to practice, which includes sometimes dousing ourselves in things that are unmentionable, to the pattern of camo we use, the goal is deception. So as I read the testimony being offered by the Bureau of Land Management that was prefaced as supportive of the Legacy Act, I couldn’t help but think, "They just don’t get it."

You see, Deputy Director Luke Johnson’s written testimony states, "To further reduce the visual footprint of development, new facilities can also be screened, painted, and even camouflaged." Now, I have spent a fair amount of time around the oil and gas fields of the West, and I find this at the very least, laughable. Sadly these folks in Washington, D.C., are completely out of touch with our Western reality.

They forget roads built into calving areas and along streambeds lead to truck traffic -- and I am not talking about pickups. I’m talking about 18-wheel big rigs with airbrakes that can be heard from two miles away. What kind of camo paint disguises this? Realtree Hardwoods Brand?

Johnson and his administration also forget about the noise of the compressors pumping in the background as you watch for the next rise of a cutthroat. What kind of screening drowns this sound out? Mossy Oak?

Johnson and his administration also forget about the smells in and around the gas fields. This is because most of them have probably never stood in the dark timber before daylight with the smell of elk all around. Unfortunately for this hunter, the smells of an industrial drilling site do a pretty good job of camouflaging this.

Before Johnson talks about such silly ideas, I would encourage him to talk to the sportsmen who work in the oil and gas fields and ask them if they would like to hunt and fish in an area that has been inundated with drill rigs. I know the answer -- the answer is no

I would also ask Johnson and members of the administration to look at satellite photos. There is one key distinguishing feature easily seen from space that highlights southwestern Wyoming: the Jonah Field. It appears the wells there need a few more coats of camo paint.

I think the administration needs to take a few cues from our governor, Sen. Barrasso, and the late Sen. Thomas. They all seem to "get it." Wyoming is already doing its fair share. Just because it’s here doesn’t mean we need to drill on every inch of it. We must never put our hunting and fishing heritage on the auction block. That’s what makes this great place Wyoming.

Tom Reed is a life-long Westerner. He works for Trout Unlimited on its Public Lands Initiative and has been spearheading the Sportsmen for the Wyoming Range Campaign. For more information please visit www.WyomingRangeSportsmen.org.